#why a gopher

[abstractdiagram]

I saw a sign that said “mole and gopher removal” and my brain came to a screeching halt trying to figure out how one has a gopher removed from one’s face.

[baeshijima]

thoughts on being engaged to duke!sunday, the head of the oak family, an incredibly influential figurehead within society, the close subordinate of emperor gopher wood who brought him and his sister in and raised him like his own, and the villain who faces a tragic ending in a novel you recently finished — the very same one you just so happen to find yourself transmigrated into. he is as cunning as he is blinded, a trait which brought ruin to many in the empire, and one which ultimately brought ruin to himself at the hands of the protagonists.

as luck would have it, you became a barely mentioned side character from a marquis family, whose role was to be the villain's wife stuck in a one-sided love who, too, would get caught up in the tragedy alongside him. however, now that it's you who is stuck in this position, you're determined to try any means necessary to deter him from going down that path, all in an effort to escape your predestined doomed fate!

of course, you didn't expect it to be easy. the day of your arrival in this world was already the night before your wedding, so you had little time to prepare yourself for the nonchalance of your supposed family, how they viewed you as but a means — a tool — to boost their influence and prosperity, the dismissive mannerisms of the household servants, and the absolute beauty of a man you will be married to.

(seriously. the novel descriptions did not do him justice. he was like... like... like he was handcrafted by god himself! and not to mention his sister, robin, was the very epitome of an angel! perhaps you're destined to perish by the god-tier visuals instead...)

to say the least, the wedding ceremony went by quickly. safe to say you didn't spend the night; he was cordial and gentlemanly upon letting you know that he won't do anything until you're ready, that you can take this relationship slow, but somehow you ended up feeling a tad insulted. like, who leaves their newly wedded alone in a big cold bed as they walk out on their own? a sick bastard that's who!

well, whatever. it's not like you need nor want to consummate with him! besides, you have bigger things to worry about — things such as your impending death. and, of course, the only way to stop sunday that you can imagine working is by chipping away at his resolve bit by bit, and opening his eyes to reality.

he is a tragic character, one who cares more about the well-being of penacony and its people than anyone else, but was manipulated into getting his hands dirty in the emperor's stead. you knew this. you sobbed over his story, cursed out the protagonists, and even fought internet randos on novel forums about sunday's motivation and how,

no, he is not just a stupid villain. he is a complex character with flaws and humanity and was cruelly taken advantage of by someone he considered family. he was deceived through the suffering the emperor wanted him to see to make him easily manipulated, creating a rift between him and robin to have that prominent separation. you know what? maybe you're just a !%#@ who can't even #@?"% read properly!

and yet you still find yourself at a loss when faced with the walls he has in place. your initial efforts went as well as it possibly could have; you trying to earnestly help him, while he "kindly" dismisses your offers! well, "kindly" being more condescending since you could read between the lines of his mannerisms and amiable demeanour, but that's fine! you expected this! that just means you have to double down on your sincerity, get through to his heart (somehow), and help him realise humanity isn't as weak as he's led to believe!

you have three years until the novel's plot officially starts, and another year after that until your demise. that's plenty of time to get him to warm up to you!

it was easier said than done, but after your valiant effort and abundance of time put into this relationship, which admittedly you could do with some of that lost time back, you could give yourself a pat on the back with the progress you made! while you definitely could have done without a lot of the headaches, it's safe to say sunday has significantly warmed up to you in comparison to your wedding day. he now willingly eats all his meals with you with some real conversation, takes garden strolls with you in the early evenings, invites you out for dinner at a restaurant at least four times a week, hell he's even joked and laughed with you more frequently! but most importantly, he has begun asking for your opinion before finalising any decisions he is required to make. and he actually listens and considers your side! now, that certainly is the best outcome you could hope for after all this time, and it most definitely will help in your endeavour to save you both from the protagonists!

however, you've noticed he's been more... affectionate? well, at the very least he now willingly holds your hand when in private (not just in moments when you're in the public eye and he has to make sure the family's reputation is spotless), sometimes he will hug you out of the blue ("i just need to... recharge. you have a way of calming me down. i hope you don't mind." ...how could you say no to his supreme god-tier face card? that's just a losing battle you won't even bother fighting against.), oftentimes he opts to just gaze wordlessly at you (robin had mentioned over one of your tea times how it almost appears as though there is no one but you in the world when sunday gazes at you with, in her words, "the eyes of a man so deeply in love!" ...whatever that's supposed to mean...), but a more recent development has been his sudden interest in kissing you; well, more specifically giving you a kiss to the back of your hand or on your forehead — certainly not anywhere near the lips! (besides, he's probably just gotten comfortable with you, enough where he can freely act without judgement. nothing more, nothing less.)

well, either way, development is development! soon enough, the time for the main plot to start has arrived. it of course follows what you remember, from the organised balls to the protagonists meeting to the political aspects of it all. the only difference is sunday's less active involvement in all the schemes and the emperor's ploy. rather, he seems more focused on you and the future of your marriage and even displayed a sudden interest in your practically non-existent relationship with one of the foreign diplomats, aventurine— wait...

"[name]," he calls your name out so sweetly you nearly disregarded it as someone else he was talking to. well, perhaps you would have done had he not suddenly appeared before you, a tight-lipped smile tugging the corners of his lips as he steadily approaches you.

oh. he doesn't seem very happy, if his tense figure is anything to go by. you wonder if one of the nobles grated his nerves a little too much this time?

sunday comes to a halt a step away from you. "i don't like that... gambler being so close to you. it... it brings me a rather unpleasant feeling." there's a slight, trembling pause. not a moment later does he close the gap between you, one knee on the ground as he matches your seated height on the fountain rim, your hands gently enclosed in both of his.

you idly wonder if this is what robin meant by the so-called "eyes of a man so deeply in love" she constantly gushed about, for the way in which he gazes up at you is enough to render you breathless.

"tell me, [name]," he begins once more. there is an underlying desperation woven within his tone, one which has your head spinning and heart thumping wildly as his trembling gaze holds you in place. "tell me, what am i to do with this fervent love and overwhelming adoration i hold for you?"

oh.

...oh.

perhaps your impending doom should be the least of your concerns when you now find yourself in the arms of a clingy husband...

(though, it's safe to say you did, in fact, manage to prevent him from succumbing to his tragic fate! you just gained a loving, yet slight slightly emotionally challenged husband along the way.

well, you can help him work through it; you have the rest of your lives now to figure it out, after all.)

[gophergal]

Once again I am making fanart for Milk Blueberry Popsicle. This post kinda killed me. @another-delta-lover how does it feel to be one of the funniest guys in this fandom

[couch-house]

full page comet comic i got to play with + make mistakes on over break. made sure to save the b&w bc markers SCARY

[seagull-scribbles]

The found family ever

[veiwryn]

Alliances/friendship that I think would have been interesting in season one + explanations! (Pt 2)

Screaming Gophers

Beth & Noah

Both are shown to be incredibly intelligent people who "struggle" with people at first. I personally believe Noah purposely booted himself, but that's another post. Beth is naive, a person who catered to others with the want to be accepted; in short, a people pleaser. The opposite of Noah, who is blunt and follows his own tune despite the consequences. If Noah had stayed longer and been a part of Heather's alliance, then there could have been a chance where Noah would help Beth become more confident as they scheme against Heather. Like, imagine that plot twist! A mean girl's proxies actually being the mastermind and playing her like a fiddle. Although back to canon, Playa de Losers would be where they become friends. I can imagine them being book budies and making crafts together, which evidently turns into gossiping.

Justin & Gwen

LITERALLY AN ARTIST AND HER MUSE. Gwen is a painter, and who is better than to pair her with a model? It would start as strictly business, a small alliance. Gwen would get another vote against Heather, and Justin gets to have drawings of himself—plus a trusted ally. Gwen and Justin would have discussions on what angles would be better and debate on posing directions. Imagine Justin telling Gwen that the pose she was making him to was better if the perspective came from a lower right angel, using the rule of thirds, when she wants to capture him with the landscape. Justin could help point out issues with anatomy, too. I would assume. Outside of that, they would go shopping and try out clothes recommended by the others. I just think it's a cute idea. In short, two different types of artists come together.

Lindsay and Cody.

A dork and a dumb blonde. It would start with Cody attempting to impress her (failing) but succeeding in getting her interested in his hobbies. Lindsay is overly enthusiastic. She would support Cody even if she didn't understand, and he's shown to be a patient and understanding person at times. Cody would take the time to explain things to Lindsay. In return, Lindsay advises Cody during or for social interactions. Like giving advice on how to compliment a girl without it being weird or how to tell if a girl is interested in you. They could've been an adorable duo if given the chance!

Trent, Izzy & Leshawna

Hear me out on this trio. Trent and Leshawna are shown to be rather chill people, enough so that Leshawna goes along with Izzy's antics during the bike challenge and essentially misses the entire thing. Why would Trent be any different? They would accidentally go along with Izzy's plan, but make sure to keep it tame, ultimately learning ways to keep the psycho hose beast in check while having fun in the chaos. Especially if it's chaos against a certain queen bee. Leshawna and Izzy would be planning with Trent being the voice of reason.

It really was difficult finding underrated friendships for gophers

[izztreme-art-n-stuff]

Day 31 - Celebrate!

Welp, today's the end of another challenge and the end of the year. Hoped you enjoyed this ride and that things get better in the future.

My new years resolution is simply to try and get all the stories I consistently play in my head onto to text/video for all of you to read/watch and enjoy. Lord knows that's a pipe dream....

Here's the prompt list for anyone who wants to try it themselves:

[gspot-rocks-the-gspot]

If Gandhi x Topher interactions comes canon (i mean, they obviously don't, but it's worth dreaming) i hope at least they have the same vibes that these Tyler, The Creator songs have

a humble request, it is nothing 😋 just a silly little angst to the plot

[gophergal]

doodles of a werewolf!medic AU that @cursed--alien and I have been talking about for a bit

[nebuliias]

i just read gopher wood’s backstory in his wiki page and bro.. WTF SHIT IS SO CRAZY AND COMPLICATED??

playable gopher wood when..?

[cursed--alien]

Maturity is letting people be wrong about your blorbos and just blocking and moving on

[minnieposting]

just ,,, thinking about sunday and robin now i feel so ill over them. they love each other so much its sickening to think about them getting separated in every universe as a canon event. just want them to be chilling in some cafe sharing a shortcake or something while they talk about trivial things its so SICKENING!!!!

[ma1zeb1te]

<3

[spiders-and-worms]

True avatar of the buried (common gopher)

[apotelesmaa]

I need to make one of those “people who haven’t read soul eater which of these things didn’t happen in the manga” because even for the people who have only watched the anime there is so much happening in the manga that sounds incredibly fake without context and is only marginally improved by having the context. Before I read the manga if u told me that there was an extremely powerful meister of a death scythe who was also a literal monkey (& his weapon is a mirror that wears a bear head 24/7 and takes his death) I would not believe you. Having read the manga I still think tezca and the monkey were a fever dream.

[14faber]

what sound does a gopher make?